What’s In A Warm-Up?
A warm-up consists of a series of exercises that are performed prior to your full workout. These exercises gradually rev up your cardiovascular system, increase blood flow to your muscles, increase body temperature, and limber up the muscles you’re about to use. It’s best to select exercises that mimic similar movements in your routine.
When warming-up prior to your workout, think of using movements that target every angle of motion. This can be done quickly with fluid movements that transition from one to the next without rest. Although a warm-up should typically be performed for 5-10 minutes, you can also do it in 1-minute tops!
Warm-Up Frequency and Duration
A warm-up should be done before every workout session. Yes. I said every workout session! This includes cardio, strength, and even stretching based workouts such as yoga and Pilates. Whether your workout is a short one, longer in duration, moderate paced or intense, a proper warm-up is the most important segment to initiate your workout sequence as well as prepare your mind and body for what’s to come.
A proper warm-up doesn’t have to be long in duration. It should include exercises that efficiently move your body freely in all ranges of motion before. Ideally, a warm-up should consist of a variety of multi-functional exercises in all planes of motion for 5-10 minutes in duration. This allows ample time for each muscle to move precisely in all angles and warm the muscle tissues for the actual workout. However, this being said, even a quick 1-minute overall movement sequence can do the job!
10 Good Reasons To Warm-Up
Warming up is essential for providing heat to the muscles about to be worked in your workout. There are many reasons that support warming up prior to working out. Some of these benefits include:
- Increases joint range of motion
- Avoids muscle strain
- Increases heat to the muscles being worked
- Elevated cardio output
- Lubricates joints for pain free movements
- Increases oxygen delivery and nutrients to your muscles, which prevents becoming breathless too early or easily in your workout
- Improves coordination and reaction time
- Enhances performance
- Prevents Injury
- Helps to mentally prepare for the workload ahead!
Risks Of Not Warming-Up
One of the biggest risk factors for not performing a proper warm-up is a potential injury or inflicting strain to a muscle being worked. By warming up the muscles of the body, you can prevent sprains, strains, or “pulling” a muscle. Injuries happen, but you can avoid them by keeping your muscles trained in all angles of motion and waking them up before the intensity occurs!
The Warm-Up Plan
To maximize time and insure your muscles are prepped to workout, I’ve put together a quick, fast paced warm-up for you to do in just 1-minute!
It’s a functional, dynamic warm-up of exercises that prepare the entire body for your workout utilizing all fitness components of strength, cardio, and flexibility.
*Be sure to check out the video to see how the exercises quickly flow into the next within the minute’s time. Follow along, memorize, and enjoy!
1-Minute Total Gym Warm-Up Routine
Instructions:
Perform these moves in sequence, without rest, using the specific reps. Try to memorize the routine so you don’t have to think. Just do it! Add in your favorite music to keep the pace on point!
- SET UP: High-Medium Level, Squat stand attached
Begin Straddling Glide Board:
- Squat & reach 4x
- Squat, knee up & twist side 2 side 4x
- Waist twists 4x
- Lateral reaches 4x
- Jumps 8x (any kind you want)
- Reverse crunch 8x
- Roll up & flip into plank… (quickly)
- Plank hold
- Incline Push-up, mountain climber
- Up-dog/ down dog
Tips For Memorization:
Repetition, Repetition, Repetition! Practice by reviewing the list of exercises and then watch the video to see how they are performed. Try to follow along in the video and keep repeating it until you feel you have mastered it. Performing these 10 movements within 1-minutes time can be a challenge itself.
Knowing what area of the body you’re warming up may also help you remember what comes next. Here’s the priority order of the muscle groups:
- Full body movement
- Core/ torso
- Extremities
- Core stability
- Full Body Stretch
Warm-ups are an essential component of every workout and will help you to perform your best, prevent injury, and experience an effective workout.
Have fun with this and try to create your own 1-minute warm-ups! I’d love to hear your comments.
Best Luck Always!
Maria
